How Long Does it Take to Drill a Well?

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how long it takes to drill a well and some helpful tips.

Knowing how long it will take to drill a well to completion is imperative, especially if you want to close a deal with a drilling company and are looking for cost estimates. In that vein, factors such as weather, ground condition, and depth come into play. I have worked with several drilling companies for years as a technician. So, I can explain this in detail.

It generally takes about 1 – 3 days to drill a well. The drilling may span 10 – 14 more days until completion. Weather and ground conditions and the required depth may also prolong or slow the time it takes to drill to completion.

I will get into more detail below.

Getting Started – How Long Does it Take to Drill a Well? 

It will take about 1 to 3 days to drill a well under normal circumstances.

However, weather conditions, the nature of the ground or soil, and the water depth – are all factors that impact the drilling period.

For instance, in rainy seasons, despite wells being close to surface water, it takes slow and soaking rains for the grounds to absorb and filter water. The nature of the ground plays a key role too. If the ground is rocky and unsteady, the drill will have trouble penetrating, ultimately slowing the drilling process down.

How Long Does it Take to Drill a 100 ft. Water Well?

It will take about 1- 2 days to drill a 100 ft. water well if the weather and ground conditions are favorable.

Frequent rainfall and tough ground may drag the drilling time to several days.

How Long Does it Take to Drill a Water Well to Completion

A water well can be drilled to completion in between 14 and 25 days if traditional methods are utilized. If the rig is in and out, it will take approximately 2 -3 days to mobilize several wells, and drillers can stay on site for another 14 – 25 days.

How Long it Takes to Drill a Bore

Drilling a borehole usually takes 10 – 15 days to complete on-site work. The schedule is basically:

• For the first three to four days — drilling is done.
• Then, cable and pipe work starts.
• A submersible pump is deployed to test the water supply from under the borehole. And then it shuts it off.
• The water sample is ferried to a laboratory where its purity is analyzed through chemical tests.

Generally, two to three weeks will go by before the entire process is completed.

How Fast Can a Drill Dig?

A tunnel boring machine or a water drill can excavate 50 – 60 feet daily with two or three shifts. But good days can see excavation rise to almost 200 feet per day.

A tunnel drilling contraption or machine is a huge drill fitted with a rotating head that drills through grounds and then robotically cast concrete lining segments as it progresses. (1)

The Best Season to Drill a Well

Winter is the season to drill a well.

There is a misconception that drilling wells during winter is difficult because the ground is frozen. The truth is that there is much less mud in winter due to the cold and hardened ground. So, damage to the yard from the tire tracks of the drilling rig is reduced.

Also, most water well drilling companies are busiest in summer and spring. So, if you close a winter deal, you may get a quicker response. (2)

Take a look at some of our related articles below.

• How to test fuel pump with multimeter
• How to drill hole in stainless steel sink
• How to use left handed drill bits

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References
(1) robotically – https://builtin.com/robotics
(2) summer and spring – https://www.livescience.com/25202-seasons.html

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